swannery
He keeps a swannery; i.e. all his geese are swans.
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Expressions you’ll hear in Britain and Ireland — distinctly British usage first, then widespread staples.
swap
To exchange. Grose says it is Irish cant, but the term is now included in most dictionaries as an allowed vulgarism.
swarry
A boiled leg of mutton and trimmings. Sam Weller’s adventure with the Bath footmen originated the term. See TRIMMINGS.
swatchel-cove
The master of a Punch-and-Judy exhibition who "fakes the slum," and does the necessary squeak for the amusement of the bystanders. See SCHWASSLE BOX. The orthography of many of these colloquial expressions differs. It was thought best to give the various renderings as collected.
sweat
To extract money from a person, to "bleed." Also, to squander riches.—Bulwer.
sweater
Common term for a "cutting" or "grinding" employer,—one who SWEATS his workpeople. A cheap tailor, who pays starvation wages.
sweating
A mode of diminishing the gold coin, practiced chiefly by the Jews, who corrode it with aqua regia. Sweating was also a diversion practised by the bloods of the last century, who styled themselves Mohocks: these gentlemen lay in wait to surprise some person late in the night, when surrounding him, they with their swords pricked him in the posteriors, which obliged him to be constantly turning round; this they continued till they thought him sufficiently sweated.
sweep
A contemptuous term for a low or shabby man.
sweet
Easy to be imposed on, or taken in; also expert, dexterous clever. Sweet's your hand; said of one dexterous at stealing.
sweet
Loving or fond; "how SWEET he was upon the moll," i.e., what marked attention he paid the girl.
sweet heart
A term applicable to either the masculine or feminine gender, signifying a girl's lover, or a man's mistress: derived from a sweet cake in the shape of a heart.
sweetener
A person who runs up the prices of articles at an auction. See JOLLYING, BONNET, &c.
sweetness
Guinea droppers, cheats, sharpers. To sweeten to decoy, or draw in. To be sweet upon; to coax, wheedle, court, or allure. He seemed sweet upon that wench; he seemed to court that girl.
swell
A gentleman. A well-dressed map. The flashman bounced the swell of all his blunt; the girl's bully frightened the gentleman out of all his money.
swell
A man of importance; a person with a showy, jaunty exterior, "a rank SWELL," a very flashily dressed person, a man who by excessive dress apes a higher position than he actually occupies. Any one occupying a superior position in society is by the mob called a SWELL. Anything is said to be SWELL or SWELLISH that looks showy, or is many coloured, or is of a desirable quality.
swell hung in chains
Said of a showy man in the habit of wearing much jewellery.
swelled head
A disorder to which horses are extremely liable, particularly those of the subalterns of the army. This disorder is generally occasioned by remaining too long in one livery-stable or inn, and often arises to that height that it prevents their coming out at the stable door. The most certain cure is the unguentum aureum--not applied to the horse, but to the palm of the master of the inn or stable. N. B.
swift’s
Coarser pieces abound in vulgarities and Slang expressions.
swig
A hearty draught of liquor.
swig
To drink. Saxon, SWIGAN.
swigmen
Thieves who travel the country under colour of buying old shoes, old clothes, &c. or selling brooms, mops, &c. CANT.
swill
To drink inordinately. SWILL, hog-wash. From which the verb has possibly been derived.—Norfolk.
swim
"a good SWIM," a good run of luck, a long time out of the policeman’s clutches.—Thieves’ term. Among anglers "a good SWIM" is a good pitch for a part where fish are plentiful—that is, because a lot of fish keeping together are called a SWIM. Thus one who is in luck, is well connected, or is doing a good business, is said to be in a good SWIM.
swimmer
A counterfeit old coin.
swindler
One who obtains goods on credit by false pretences, and sells them for ready money at any price, in order to make up a purse. This name is derived from the German word SCHWINDLIN, to totter, to be ready to fall; these arts being generally practised by persons on the totter, or just ready to break. The term SWINDLER has since been used to signify cheats of every kind.
swindler
Although a recognised word in standard dictionaries, commenced service as a slang term. It was used as such by the poor Londoners against the German Jews who set up in London about the year 1762, also by our soldiers in the German war about that time. SCHWINDELN, in German, signifies to cheat.
swing
To have one’s SWING is to have a full turn at anything.
swingeing
Large, huge, powerful. As a SWINGEING blow, SWINGEING damages, &c.
swinging
A great swinging fellow; a great stout fellow. A swinging lie; a lusty lie.
swipe
At cricket, to hit hard with a full swing of the bat. Most probably a condensation of "wipe swingeing" or "swinging wipe."
swipes
Purser's swipes; small beer: so termed on board the king's ships, where it is furnished by the purser.
swipes
Sour or small beer. SWIPE, to drink.—Sea.
swipey
(from SWIPES), intoxicated.
swish
To flog, derived perhaps from the sound. Maybe, a corruption of SWITCH.
swish tail
A pheasant; so called by the persons who sell game for the poachers.
swished
Or SWITCHED, married.
swizzle
Drink, or any brisk or windy liquor. In North America, a mixture of spruce beer, rum, and sugar, was so called. The 17th regiment had a society called the Swizzle Club, at Ticonderoga, A. D. 1760.
sword racket
To enlist in different regiments, and on receiving the bounty to desert immediately.
swot
Mathematics; also, a mathematician; as a verb, to work hard for an examination, to be diligent in one’s studies.—Army.
syce
A groom.—Anglo-Indian.
save face
Avoid humiliation.
saved by the bell
Narrowly saved.
schoolboy error
Foolish mistake.
screw the pooch
To screw up; to fail in dramatic and ignominious fashion.
see a man about a dog
A euphemistic way to announce one's departure while concealing the true purpose.
see eye to eye
Have similar views.
seeing is believing
You can only really accept that something is true once you have seen it yourself.
sell like hot cakes
Be sold quickly and in large quantities.
sell-by date
A point of being useless.
shoot the breeze
To chat idly or casually, without any serious topic of conversation.
shooting fish in a barrel
Frivolously performing a simple task.
shuffle off this mortal coil
Epheumism for die.
sick as a parrot
Very disappointed.
silence is golden
Staying quiet is often the wisest or most valuable choice.
sing a different tune
Change opinion.
sink or swim
Fail or succeed.
sit on the fence
Avoid making a decision.
sleep with the fishes
To be murdered and thrown into a body of water.
snake in the grass
An unrecognizable danger or hidden enemy.
sold down the river
That one was betrayed.